Halo
by Catluver3
Summary: Time has passed, and the Keepers have changed. Everything's changed. Finn's fallen for Amanda; Philby for Willa. Charlene still loves Finn, just as she always has. If only he could see how much damage he's done. The scars, the sleepless nights... When you love someone more than you love air, is there any way to move on? Charlene/Maybeck one-shot.


**Me: Just a little idea I had. It didn't really go along with the other kind of song-fics in Kingdom Keepers Songs, so I made it its own fan-fic!**

**Yep. It better be a happy little story. I've sacrificed a lot for it.**

**Disclaima!: I Don't own Halo by Beyonce. If I did, I'd probably be rich. No, scratch that, I _would _be rich. But I don't. I also don't own Kingdom Keepers (though Ridley Pearson is working on giving me the rights for Amanda- speaking of which, I should probably let him out of my closet...) or basically anything. Except this computer. I own that. Actually... no, it's my mom's. **

Everything was wrong. It was supposed to be her, Charlene, standing in Finn's arms, swaying gently to the music. Everything was supposed to be perfect, just the way she'd imagined it for years. But something had gone wrong. He had fallen in love with another girl, right in front of her eyes. A girl who, Charlene hated to admit it, was more admirable than her. Maybe Finn had never known. But how could he not have, when all the signs were so clear? Was he that blind? Before she knew the Keepers, she was always the pretty girl, the sporty girl, the popular girl, the perfect girl. But she was never happy. While everyone else had friends, she had a false reality that he been placed inside the minds of the children. She wasn't herself; hadn't reached her full potential. She was a coward. A disgrace. A monster. She was a lie.

With the Keepers was the only place she belonged. She was important, special, even, around them. They treated her as if she had feelings, what others had always lacked. She was a part of something. She could do what none of the other Keepers could do.

But recently things had changed. Charlene had changed. Finn fell for Amanda- the perfect love story. And Charlene was left in the dark, imagining things as they could have been. As they should have been. As they would have been if not Amanda's beauty. No, not only her beauty. Her brains, her bravery, her compassion. Amanda was everything Charlene could never be. A girl like Charlene was a dime in a dozen. Girls like Amanda almost never came around. And Finn had chosen Amanda while she, Charlene, the underdog, sat on the sidelines.

Charlene had never been completely comfortable with herself. None of the others knew this, but years ago, Charlene had been bullied. Pushed around, made fun of. She had no one. It was all too much for her, and she vowed to make herself a new person, one who everyone else would be jealous of. Nothing was ever the same.

And after all of that, the knowledge that even the changed Charlene couldn't make a difference was unbearable. If she didn't deserve to be in Finn's arms she didn't deserve anything. So here she sat, in the darkness of the night, alone. In the school's garden, on the stone bench, tears blurring her vision. Music from the school dance blared from inside the main building.

She sighed and turned her head upwards, toward the glistening silver stars blanketing the black sky. Her hair was disheveled, her face red and puffy from crying. Her world was collapsing around her; she craved Finn more than she craved air.

With a sigh, she pulled off the jacket she was wearing over her purple silk dress, despite the cold. She pulled her wrist into the light projected by a nearby street lamp. In the light, her skin was almost silver. No matter what Charlene thought, she looked like a goddess; she was beautiful. If only Finn could see that, all of her problems would be over. Among the silver of her arm, were small bright streaks of pink. Charlene inflicted this upon herself, knife in hand, through want. Nights of sitting on the cold tile floor of her bathroom, blood dripping down her fingertips. Finn was not only her greatest dream, but also her darkest nightmare. His voice haunted her thoughts, and his shape more than once appeared in her dreams. Even if he wouldn't love her, she needed him to see the pain he had caused her. The scars, the starvation, the sleepless nights.

Every day Charlene imagined Finn's confession of love to her, the end of the horrible darkness that had become her life. He would leave Amanda, and she would be the one in his arms; warmth spreading through her bones, and a terrible weight lifted from her shoulders.

"If only you knew," Charlene whispered, holding her wrist up to the sky, tears once again streaming down her cheeks.

"Knew what?" came a voice from behind Charlene. She jumped, and whirled around; standing there in a tuxedo was Maybeck. "Knew what, Charlie?" Maybeck repeated, plopping down on the bench next to Charlene.

"Nothing," Charlene said quickly, grabbing her jacket and trying to shove it back on her shoulders before he could get a good look at her wrist. Maybeck grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Charlie," Maybeck cried, pulling her wrist into the faint light. "What happened?"

Charlene couldn't take it anymore. She had to tell someone, anyone. "Everything, Maybeck!" she burst out, voice filled with agony. Her tears returned once again, hot against her pink cheeks. She yanked her wrist away, and shoved her arms into the sleeves of her sweater. She closed her eyes, heaved a sigh, and whispered, with great effort, "I've changed. Everything's different."

Maybeck lifted his hand to Charlene's face, stroking her cheek, and lifted her head so that her eyes were level with his. "No, Charlie, we've all changed. We've changed together." His voice was soft and melancholy, he was obviously feeling nostalgic. "And," he said quickly, glancing around to make sure they were alone, "You can tell me another time. I trust you to make the right decision. You can trust me, too."

Charlene started to respond, but before she could react, Maybeck had pulled her face to his; his lips to hers. It was a deep kiss, a passionate one. One where neither person can bear to let go. It was almost a minute before Charlene broke free, gasping for breath.

"Charlie, I'm sorry, I don't know what-" Maybeck began, but was broken off by Charlene's finger in front of his lips. "Shhh," she said, a smile, her first real smile in quite a long time, spreading across her lips. "It was…. nice," she finished. It was the only words she could put to the way that she felt. Some of the heartbreak, the pain, the betrayal she felt inside had just melted away, like water down a drain.

They sat in silence for a moment, both smiling, and in Maybeck's case, blushing. They were the only ones in the universe. The only sounds came from the soft, flowing music from inside the auditorium.

Suddenly, Maybeck stood, grinning wildly. He gazed fondly down at Charlene, and she stared back, pure happiness in her eyes. "Charlie," he said with a chuckle, extending his hand toward her. "May I have this dance?"

She giggled and stood, brushing the debris off her dress. She took his hand and he pulled her close, hands around her waist. "Of course," she murmured, clasping her hands around his shoulders. A certain warmth flowed from Maybeck's fingertips on her hips, and Charlene shivered- a realization having struck her. Maybeck felt much like she had imagined Finn. Maybe she wasn't destined for Finn after all.

The music grew louder and the two continued swaying in time to it. They were the only two outside the building; the only two breathing in the cool night air. To Charlene, everything felt wonderful.

"I can see your halo, halo, halo," a voice sung as the song reached the chorus and the volume increased.

Maybeck lifted one hand from Charlene, and she looked up at him, almost a head above her, a puzzled look spreading across her face. In the air above her head he drew a circle shape; a halo.

"I can see your halo," Maybeck whispered almost incoherently, barely loud enough for Charlene to hear.

She smiled and laughed, resting her head on his shoulder, all the while pulling him even closer to her. She breathed in his smell- soft, almost like flowers; showering in his warmth; bathing in the moonlight. Charlene knew that Finn and Amanda would be dancing together, but she didn't care anymore. She was dancing with Maybeck.

For the first time, she was…. happy.

**Me: Everyone say 'Awww….' with me!**

**Crowd: Awww….**

**George Washington: Awww….**

**Me: No, not you, George. You're supposed to be doing my laundry. **

**George: -sadly- Awww…. -walks away-**

**Me: Yeah, sorry about that. Anyways, please-**

**Crowd: Awww….**

**Me: No, not now! As I was saying-**

**Crowd: Awww….**

**Me: Only say 'Awww….' if I tell you to say 'Awww….'! OK, before I get interrupted again, please read and review and push the little blue button to make it happy!**

**Fang: Awww…. I just lost the Game!**

**Crowd: Awww….**

**R&R? You all just lost the Game! **


End file.
